My Boko Haram uncle raped me… I can’t forgive the sect, says teenager

A Nigerian teenager has narrated how she was raped by her uncle who was a Boko Haram member.

The girl, who preferred anonymity, brought the revelation to light when she spoke with BBC on June 19 — a day set aside annually by the United Nations to address sexual violence.

According to her, the development followed an attack on her village by the deadly sect, during which all the men were killed while the women were taken away into exile.

“The incident happened on a Tuesday as Boko Haram entered our town, killed all the men, burnt all our houses and took those of us that are women along,” she told the news outlet.

“My uncle, who is also a Boko Haram member, then told me to stand up and follow him, that I had become his property. He started raping me since that day.”

She explained that her uncle was later killed due to a disagreement among the group, adding that she was subsequently married off to another member of the sect.

“He was, however, killed after some time following disagreement between him and other Boko Haram members. I was married off to another member of the sect,” she added.

The teenager also recounted the stigma she faced alongside other girls when they arrived the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Bama, Borno state, shortly after they escaped from their abductors while they were sleeping.

“Anywhere we go to, people do stigmatise us as wives of Boko Haram members as if it’s our fault. Personally, l can’t forgive Boko Haram for life because of what they did to me,” she said.

The girl, who is currently undergoing her secondary education, said her dream is to become a soldier after completing her education to rid Nigeria of Boko Haram.

“My dream in life is to complete my education and become a soldier, then fly a plane and bomb every Boko Haram member. I’ll like to see them (Boko Haram) end in Nigeria,” she said.

She also recalled how what happened to her had left her traumatised for long until she came across Al Amin Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.